Photographic exposing mechanism.



W. F. FOLMER.

PHOTOGRABHIC- EXPOSING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FlLED' OCT. 30. 1913.

1,139,023. Patented May11,1915.

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i o i 5 9 s A l 36 5 W Qtmwup APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30, l9l3.

Patented May 11, 1915.

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Invert/tar Zia Abt oraeyii 1 UNITED sTATiasrAtr NT omen.

WILLIAM F. FQLWLMER, OF ROCHESTER,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

riso'roenarnre nxrosme MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. FOLMER,

' of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic Exposing Mechanisms; and I- do ereby declare the following to be a full,

"clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings,'form1ng a art of this speci catlon,

.and 'to the re erence-numerals marked n sms, and it has for its ob eetto provide simple and eflicient means in connection with the shutter and film feeding devices wherebyone is subject to the control of the other and the makin of two exposures on a single icture area 0 the film as well as uselessly fieiigin an area of film into and out of the vented.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in connection with the shutter mechanism, an electrical switch mechanism in the circuit of an object illuminating device so that the latter will be controlled in a semi-automatic manner to certain ends,

the present invention being embodied in av camera of the type further described and otherwise claimed in my companion application, Serial No. 798,226 filed October 30, 1913.

To these and other ends the invention consists of certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a photographic camera constructed in accordance with and illustrating oneembodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 isa central vertical section therethrough; Fig. 3 is a bottom view taken in transverse section through the rear section of the camera body,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 80, 1913. Serial No. 798,227.

at 1 when secured by a catch 2. The front secexposure without exposing it is .pre-

Patented May 11, 1915.

of the inner side of the carrying plate for the shutter and film winding controls, respectively showing the various parts in different' ositions at various stages of the cycle 0 operation.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate the same parts.

For general features of construction of the specific camera in which my present invention is shown to be embodied, reference is made to the other application mentioned which states the camera to be desi ned more particularly for such Work as ma ing photographic records of the readings of gas meters. The general structure will, therefore, be but briefly described herein.

In this view and referring more particularly to the drawings, A indicates the front section and B the rear section of a camera casing which sections are hinged together (Fig. 3) to form a continuous body tion is provided with a chamber 3 at the front containing object illuminating devices embodying electric lamps 4. Leading rearwardly from the lamp chamber is a light chamber 5 in alinement with which is located a lens and shutter casing 6 located in a com artment or chamber 7 at the forward end 0 the rear section B. The shutter con-, trols the admission of light to the exposure chamber 7 occupying the center of the section B, while on either side of the exposure chamber are provided film chambers 8 and 9. The feed spool 10 for the charged roll of film is, in the present instance, located in the upper chamber 8 and the film strip 11 is drawn therefrom over guide rollers 12 across the rear end of the exposure chamber 7 by the winding spool 13 for the exposed roll of film'looated in the chamber 9 and provided on the exterior of the casing with a windingkey 14, as usual.

The circuits for the lamps 4: are fully deon the front and rear sections, respectively,

that are in cooperation when the sections are'held together and also contacts 22 and engagement with a 23 similarly arranged on the respective parts, the last mentioned contact being in ortion of the shutter casing 6 throu h w ich .latter the circuit is completed subject to a switch device that will now be described.

Mounted on the rear wall 24 of the shutter chamber 7 and preferably on the same pivot 25 are a pair of levers 26 and 27, the opposite or free ends of which project through a slot 28 in a plate 29 mounted on the side wall of the casing and carr ing certain controlling mechanism to be ater described, said projecting portions being exteriorly accessible to the fingers of the operator. In their normal or raised positions in which they are held by springs 30, they are substantially coincldent with each other, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, particularly at the finger portions where the under lever 27 is interlocked with the upper lever 26 for joint downward movement therewith by virtue of a laterally turned lip 31 thereon. The upper lever 26 constitutes a switch lever for the lamp circuit, being provided with a laterally projecting flange 32 in a position to engage a leaf 33 on the contact 21 (Fig. 2) when the lever is depressed, whereas the under lever 27 constitutes a shutter operating member being provided also with a laterally pro jecting ear or flange 34 arranged to actuate a shutter actuating plunger 35 on the shutter casing 6 when the lever is depressed. The two levers are, of course, in electrical contact with each other, as well. The shutter, indicated generally at 6 is, in the present instance, of the automatic type so that a single downward actuation of the plunger 35 opens and closes the shutter a erture, while the return of the plunger, w 1en permitted, accom anies the resetting of the shutter blades. t will thus be seen that the result of de ressing both levers is to close the circuit through the lamps 4, illuminating the object, and to simultaneously open and close the shutter aperture.

The film feeding mechanism, in addition to the parts already described, comprises as well a film measuring device that embodies, in the present instance, a roll 36 (Figs. 3 and 8) journaled in the side walls of the film winding chamber 9 in parallelism to the film spools 10 and 13. The film strip 11 in passing from the sup ly to the takeup roll passes over this ro ler 36 which is provided with spurs 37 that impale the opposite edges of the strip to prevent slipping, so that a given number of revolutions of the roll indicates that an area of film e ual to that multiple of its circumferential ength has been fed both into and out of the field of exposure and representing, in each instance, an exposure area of the strip. Of course, neither the feed spool nor the windbeen halted against further windin ing spool can be used for this urpose, as the diameter and circumferentia length of each is constantly changing.

In the present instance, a single revolution of the roll 36 measures off an exposure area and may, in so doing, turn a relatively larger indicating wheel 38 a suflicient distance to bring successive characters thereon past a sight 0 ening 39 in the carrying plate 29, in whic this wheel, as well as one end of the roll 36, is journaled. A further indicating wheel 39, having characters of greater denomination, viewable through a sight opening 40, may also be rovided to be rotated once upon each revoution of the wheel 38 by the contact of a pin 41 on the margin of the latter.

When the two levers 26 and 27 are depressed for the beforementioned respective purposes, another laterally turned ear or ange 42 on the shutter operating lever 27 is engaged and locked by a detent 43 pivoted at 44 and pressed toward the lever by a spring 45, which also operates to maintain an arm 46 on the detent beyond the pivot against the periphery of a portion of the film measuring roll 36, all as shown in Fig. 6. At the same time, this flange 42 on the shutter operating lever deflects laterally the arm 47 of a lever also pivoted at 44 and the opposite arm 48 of which constitutes a detent subject to the influence of a spring 49 that normally holds it in a position to engage an abutment 50 on the film measuring roll 36. This deflection of the lever 47 releases it from pressure upon the arm 51 of a bell crank detent 52 and allows the latter under the influence of a spring 53 to go into locking position against the switch lever 26 when the latter is returned by its spring 28. The spring 49 of the lever 47 is superior to the spring 53, so that the detent 52 is out of operative position before the levers 26 and 27 are depressed and hence does not prevent the depression of the switch lever 26 at that time.

When the film measuring roll 36 is rotated from the position of Fig. 6, after being released from the detent 48, it will be seen that just before it completes an entire revolution, it will act as a trip against the arm 46 of the detent 43, as indicated in Fig. 7. j

In the operation of the entire mechanism, Fig. 8 may be considered to show' the normal positions of the various controlling parts. As there shown, the projection or trip 50 on the measuring roll 36 has passed beyond the end of the detent arm 46 and of the film'strip by the detent 48. At this point, an unexposed picture area on the strip is drawn across the end of the exposure chamber 7 in position for exposure and, therefore, for the time being, it cannot be furpressed, the detent 52 being held out tion by the lever 47. The switch lever 26 both deposither moved. To

make an exposure levers 26 and 27 i are simultaneous on its part closes the circuit to the lam s 4 at the contact 33 and illuminates the ob ect, as previously mentioned. The shutter operating member 27 simultaneously depresses the shutter actuating plunger 35, causing an opening and closing of the shutter aperture and the act of taking the picture or exposure is completed. Now, while the switch lever 26 is free to return to normal position and does so return assoon as the pressure of the finger is removed, being locked in that position by the spring detent 52 which the shutter operating lever has meanwhile released from the pressure of the spring arm 47, the shutter lever 27 is retained in its depressed position by the detent 43, as shown in Fig. 5. In moving the arm 4-7, it has released the abutment 5O on the film measuring roll 36 from the detent 48 and the film strip, hitherto locked, may now be fed the distance of one picture area or through one revolution of the measuring roll 36, bringing a fresh or unexposed area into the field of exposure and until this is done, and while it is being done, the shutter is held locked by the detent 43 against opening. As soon as the film measuring roll 36 has completed its single revolution, the abutment 50 trips the detent 43 by engagement with the arm 46 and releases the shutter operating lever 27 which flies back to the side of the switch lever 26 that has meanwhile been held by its detent 52 against uselessly closing the circuit to the lamps. Upon its return, it allows the detent 48 to go back into engagement with the abutment or trip 50 on the measuring roll, again locking the latter until the completion of another exposure, and the other arm 47 of the detent moves the switch lever detent 52 to inoperative position ready for another actuation of the switch, all as shown in Fig. 8. It, will thus be seen that the shutter mechanism prevents winding of the film. until an exposure has been completed, on the one hand, and the film winding mechanism prevents a subsequent opening of the shutter until the exposed area of film has been withdrawn from the field of exposure and a fresh area substituted. Two exposures, therefore, cannot be made on the same film surface and the film cannot be withdrawn from the field of exposure until it has been exposed.

A further object for providing the two levers 26 and 27, and locking the former in the normal position to which it returns while the latter is held locked in its depressed position, the levers being thus relatively immovable until the winding is completed, is to impress upon the attention of theoperator at this formed. All he has ready for an exposure,

when the levers are separated, the winding return them.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a photographic camera, the combination with a filmfeeding mechanism embodying a carrying plate having gearing thereon, of shutter mechanism embodying a lever extending transversely of the plate, and pivoted members on the plate cooperating with both the gearing of the feeding mechanism and the shutter lever to control one mechanism through the medium of the' other.

2. hi a nation with a film feeding mechanism embodying a carrying plate having gearing mounted thereon and provided with a slot, of a shutter mechanism embodying a lever extending through the slot, a trip pivoted on the plate to cooperate with the shutter lever and adapted to be actuated by the feeding mechanism and a second trip pivoted on the plate to cooperate with the feeding mechanism and adapted to be actuated by the shutter lever.

3. In a photographic camera, the combination with a film feeding mechanism and a shutter mechanism, of a detent for the shutter mechanism. arranged under the control of the feeding mechanism and a detent for the feeding mechanism arranged under the control of the shutter mechanism.

4. In a photographic camera, the combination with a film feeding mechanism and a shutter mechanism, of a detent for the shutter mechanism, a trip actuated by the feeding mechanism for releasing said detent and a detent under the control of the shutter mechanism adapted to engage the trip and restrain the feeding mechanism through the medium thereof.

5. In a photographic camera, the combination with. a shutter and a film feeding mechanism, of two levers having substantially coincident normal positions and adapted to be simultaneously depressed, one of said levers constituting a shutter operating member, means for returning the levers to normal positions, means under the control of the feeding mechanism for detaining the shutter operating lever in depressed position after an actuation of the shutter while allowing the return of the other lever to normal position, and means under the control of the shutter operating lever for detaining said last mentioned lever in norphotographic camera, the combimal position until the shutter operating shutter, of two levers having substantially coincident normal positions and adapted to be simultaneously depressed, one of said levers constituting a shutter operating member, means for returning the levers to normal positions, a detent for restraining the operating lever in its operated position and connected withzthe Winding mechanism to be released thereby, a detent for holding the other lever in its normal position and means released by the return of the operating lever for releaslng said last mentioned detent.

7. In a p otographic camera, the combination with a film feeding mechanism and a shutter mechanism, of two levers having substantially coincident normal positions and adapted to be simultaneously depressed, one of said levers constituting a shutter operating member, means for returning the levers to normal positions, a detent for restraining the operating lever in its operated position and connected with the winding mechanism to be released thereby, a detent for restraining the Winding mechanism movable into operative position upon the return of the operating lever to normal position, and a detent for holdin the other lever in normal position release by the last mentioned movement of the film winding detent.

8. In a hotographic camera, the combination wit an ob ect illuminating device embodying an electric lamp, an electrical circuit including said lamp and a shutter mechanism, of a pair of lovers arranged for joint operation, one constituting a switch in said circuit and the other an operating memher for the shutter, a detent for restraining the switch lever and means under the control of the shutter operating lever for releasing said detent.

9. In a photographic camera, the combination with an ob ect iluminating device embodying an electric lamp, an electric circuit including said lamp, and a film feeding mechanism, of means under the control of the shutter mechanism for restraining the film feeding mechanism, means under the control of the latter for restraining the shutter mechanism and a detent controlled by one of said means for maintaining the switch-in open position.

- WILLIAM F. FOLMER. Witnesses:

NELSON H. Corr, RUSSELL B. GRIFFITH. 

